MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) proclaimed on Saturday, May 17, the victory of a dozen candidates who will take the 12 coveted Senate seats in the 20th Congress.
The newly elected senators reflect the rift between the country’s top two officials — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte — as candidates from both Marcos’ slate and former president Rodrigo Duterte’s camp secured seats. But also among the 12 are unexpected bets who were barely making it in pre-election surveys, but now have officially won.
Sitting as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC), the Comelec formalized the candidates’ victory in a proclamation ceremony at the Manila Hotel.
Here are the winners, along with the number of votes they received, based on the National Certificate of Canvass:
- Bong Go – 27,121,073
- Bam Aquino – 20,971,899
- Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa – 20,773,946
- Erwin Tulfo – 17,118,881
- Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan – 15,343,229
- Rodante Marcoleta – 15,250,723
- Panfilo “Ping” Lacson – 15,106,111
- Vicente “Tito” Sotto III – 14,832,996
- Pia Cayetano – 14,573,430
- Camille Villar – 13,651,274
- Lito Lapid – 13,394,102
- Imee Marcos – 13,339,227
The proclamation was the result of 175 tallied certificates of canvass.
Several reelectionists secured fresh terms, particularly senators Pia Cayetano, Lito Lapid, Bato dela Rosa, and frontrunner Bong Go.
Former senators are also making a comeback: Bam Aquino, social entrepreneur and education advocate, Panfilo Lacson, the former police chief who tried his hand at the presidency in 2022, Kiko Pangilinan, food security czar of the late former president Benigno Aquino III, and Tito Sotto, who served as Senate president under the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
It was a battle of numbers between the two rival slates, since the new set of lawmakers will partake in the impeachment trial of Vice President Duterte. Five of the 12 who made it are part of President Marcos’ Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas.
Meanwhile, Go, Dela Rosa, and SAGIP Representative Rodante Marcoleta are part of the former president Rodrigo Duterte’s anointed bets.
Outgoing Las Piñas Representative Camille Villar and Senator Imee Marcos were part of the original 12-member Alyansa lineup, but the Duterte-led Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Laban excluded the two in the homestretch of the campaign as the two women lawmakers were either associated with, or tried to play both sides. The Vice President has endorsed Marcos, and Villar was notably absent in later Alyansa sorties.
Siblings, allies
Sisters are joining their brothers in the 20th Congress. Pia Cayetano’s victory retains the Cayetano sibling duo in the Senate, as her brother, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, will continue to serve his term until 2028. The same goes for Camille Villar, who joins her brother Mark Villar. Camille is seen to be succeeding her mother Cynthia, whose term ends in June.
Erwin Tulfo joins his brother Raffy Tulfo in the Senate. Their brother Ben failed to make it, which would have made three brothers in the upper chamber if he did. The broadcaster Tulfos are widely popular because of their brand of justice, which is embodied by hosting shows featuring dramatic confrontations between aggrieved Filipinos and the subjects of their complaints.
Erwin Tulfo had been topping pre-election surveys together alongside Bong Go. Go ranked first in Pulse Asia’s February survey and consistently held the top spot, coinciding with the public sentiment after the International Criminal Court arrested former president Duterte for alleged crimes against humanity.
Go being the topnotcher signifies Duterte’s persistent popularity. Go has long been Duterte’s most trusted aide. As a senator, he is most credited for Malasakit Centers, which are areas in public hospitals that poor patients can run to for financial assistance.
Meanwhile, the opposition will get a significant boost as Bam Aquino made an unexpected comeback as the number two senator. Aquino’s success comes after his failed 2019 senatorial bid.
Former senator Kiko Pangilinan, food security advocate, unexpectedly made it as well after a failed 2022 vice presidential bid. They join Senator Risa Hontiveros as the revived opposition, three years since Hontiveros had been holding the fort.
Aquino and Pangilinan were hanging off the edge of the “Magic 12” in pre-election surveys.
In the 19th Congress, the House of Representatives impeached the Vice President. Her fate now lies in the hands of the senators who will be serving in the new congress. – Rappler.com